1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to a system and method for autonomically configuring a router. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method to provide a client with the ability to configure a router without assistance from a user based upon an application's resource request.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer networks have been evolving in the business environment and the household environment for some time. Today, business environments and household environments typically use a combination of technologies to establish wired and/or wireless computer networks.
One of the key components of a computer network is a router. A router links two networks together, such as a wireless network and the Internet or a company Intranet. The router may also act as a firewall by passing data between networks based on a configuration table. A configuration table includes router parameters such as port assignments, connection priorities, and rules for handling both routine and special cases of traffic. A configuration table may be as simple as a half-dozen lines in the smallest routers, but may grow to massive size and complexity for routers that handle the bulk of Internet messages.
A challenge found with existing routers, however, is that a user must access the router in order to change particular router parameters. For example, if a user has a gaming application installed on his computer that requires a dedicated port for streaming video, and the computer accesses the Internet through a router, the user must access the router configuration settings and manually dedicate a router port to the computer. In addition, another challenge found is that if the user forgets to re-access the router to close the port, the port stays open, which may be a security concern.